The political season is now slowly creeping on us. Soon radio, television and newspaper media will be filled with rhetoric, cliches and promises.

Management of the Lagoon Hospitals, Lagos has emphasized the need to prioritize primary healthcare services in Nigeria with a view to improving access as well as ensure excellence in healthcare delivery. To this end, the hospital has inaugurated a state-of-the art Primary healthcare Outpatient Complex on its Apapa premises.

Do you know that diabetes can affect any part of your body? Do you know that out of the estimated 20 million people that have diabetes, only two-third of these individuals are diagnosed? Studies have shown that oral infections tend to be more severe in diabetic patients than non-diabetic patients? And, do you know that this is because diabetics who do not have good control over their blood sugar levels tend to have more oral health problems.

Management of the Lagoon Hospitals, Lagos has emphasized the need to prioritize primary healthcare services in Nigeria with a view to improving access as well as ensure excellence in healthcare delivery. To this end, the hospital has inaugurated a state-of-the art Primary healthcare Outpatient Complex on its Apapa premises.

There is this very successful and very busy couple. The wife is 29 years old and she wants a baby quickly. She wants this baby so badly and so urgently she wants it yesterday. Money is no object so she opts to have the baby through In Vitro Fertilization, IVF. She does not want to waste time and wants to have this baby by the time she is 30. Of course, she could get pregnant in her own bedroom, but she prefers IVF because she doesn’t want to waste time. This is an unusual request isn’t it? But it is an approach that makes sense.

Health Maintenance Organisations, HMOs, are private corporations, usually managed by doctors and other medical practitioners, offering medical and health care to their client-members for a fixed rate or contribution. The HMO concept dates back to the 1900s when companies in Europe and the Americas entered into arrangements with medical institutions for prepaid medical services to their employees. The concept is a hybrid insurance and pre-need programme, and HMOs, figuratively, are engaged in life and death situations when they attend to the needs of their members.

STRAWBERRIES. This is the sweetest way to prevent diabetes. If you are diabetic or hypertensive, you probably don’t need another reason to love strawberries — so tasty and so many antioxidants! Among the 50 best antioxidant sources in commonly eaten foods, strawberries are quite exceptional. When only fruits are considered, strawberries are ranked 4th (behind blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries). Among the total antioxidant capacity, strawberries are 3rd among all foods including spices, seasonings, fruits, and vegetables.

Hmmm! She has just returned from a three – month maternity leave – back to the hustle and bustle of the city of excellence. She tells her colleague that the three months were quite an experience. From the look on her face, although she was excited to have gone through the experience-packed months, one thing was clear –no two pregnancies are the same.

F act! The most common symptoms of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, include flu-like symptoms, such as fever and swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, weight loss, and hot flashes with fevers and sweating. HIV can also cause rashes and dry, flaky skin and can lead to seemingly unrelated conditions such as recurring yeast infections. But in so many instances, a person with HIV infection appears perfectly normal and healthy. Only through a screen test can HIV status be properly determined.

An enlarged prostate is the most common prostate problem in men after the age of about 50. Having an enlarged prostate does not mean you have cancer. In some cases, an enlarged prostate can cause the urethra to narrow which can slow down or stop the flow of urine. Many men over the age of 50 will have an enlarged prostate gland but not all will get symptoms.